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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941339">Numb.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cry_ptid/pseuds/cry_ptid'>cry_ptid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Commission Dave, Food mention, I tagged character death but like its complicated, Implied Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, No Beta We Die Like Ben Hargreeves, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Tumblr Prompt, Vomiting, alcohol mention, ben babe im so sorry, i'll update these as the fic progresses, no incest thats fucjing gross, overdose mention, the chapters r short but the amount of angst makes up for it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:02:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941339</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cry_ptid/pseuds/cry_ptid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five was numb.</p><p>His head was stuffed with cotton wool, memories of the day's events hidden behind white whisps of fog.</p><p>A voice screamed at him to try and stand up, to stop lying in the dirty alley that smelt like alcohol and smoke, but it was blocked out by the heartbeat thundering against his skull.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. All Die Young</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so this was based on an ask saying: "what do you think of the idea of five being hurt and looking ghostie ben directly in the eyes and saying, "hello" or something equally non-dramatic as that and then just,, passing out" and i may have gotten sLightly carried away with it.</p><p>also sorry about the title i cannot come up with good ones tbh its wack.</p><p>anyway hope you enjoy!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Five was numb.</p><p>His head was stuffed with cotton wool, memories of the day's events hidden behind white whisps of fog.</p><p>A voice screamed at him to try and stand up, to stop lying in the dirty alley that smelt like alcohol and smoke, but it was blocked out by the heartbeat thundering against his skull.</p><p>He opened his eyes. The sky was dark. He wondered if this was what Klaus felt like when he overdosed. </p><p>
  <em>Klaus.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His family.</em>
</p><p>They'd know what to do. They always did, really. Don't get him wrong, they were still dumb as shit, but they could at least take him to Mom to get fixed. </p><p>
  <em>Fixed?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Did he really need fixing?</em>
</p><p>He whimpered pathetically as a sudden sharp pain shot through his head.</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, yeah he did. </em>
</p><p>Now to figure out how to get to them. </p><p>Five gripped onto the sides of the alleyway and hoisted himself up onto his feet only for his knees to immediately give way.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>After a minute that felt like an hour, he managed to stand upright, and slowly stumbled his way out of the alley. </p><p>Squinting to look around, <em>because even in the dark everything was so fucking bright, </em>he noticed a phone box on the other side of the street.</p><p>
  <em>Perfect.</em>
</p><p>Slowly pushing himself off of the walls, he doubled over, his stomach emptying itself from the scarce amount of food he'd eaten over the day <em>(had he even eaten anything? He couldn't quite recall.)</em></p><p>"Shit kid, you alright?"</p><p>Five dragged his eyes from the floor to the person in front of him, attempting to make out who they were through the blinding white but only seeing their concerned eyes. </p><p>Usually, he'd be more cautious, but he couldn't think straight, and <em>everything hurt so much.</em></p><p>So he said no.</p><p>(Or he attempted to anyway, all the person in front of him actually got was a pained groan and vomit on their shoes.)</p><p>"Right, okay uhh, do you know where your parents are?"</p><p>Parents? He looked into the stranger's worried eyes and then down at himself.</p><p>
  <em>Oh right, he was just a kid.</em>
</p><p>"I'm guessing that's a no," the stranger assumed, before swearing quietly, "Okay can I touch you? Can you stand up? We need to get you to a hospital."</p><p>Hospital? No, no, no, <em>he</em> <em>needed</em> <em>his family</em>.</p><p>He whined in protest and the stranger backed away slightly. </p><p>"Okay, okay, I'm going to call you an ambulance though." </p><p>Five shook his head again, <em>(was the world always spinning like that?) </em>"No. Please."</p><p>His voice sounded hoarse and pathetic in his own ears but he couldn't bring himself to care as the stranger sighed and gave him their phone, "Fine, but you need to call someone, you can't just lie here by yourself when you're obviously injured." </p><p>Five nodded in thanks, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the harsh light emitting from the phone before reopening them slowly. </p><p>Right. Call someone. </p><p>He entered the first phone number that came into his head, and waited for it to dial.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>"Help."</p><p>"Fivey!?" Klaus's voice startled on the other side.</p><p>"Yeah," he coughed, "help please."</p><p>"Shit, fuck, shit, where are you?"</p><p>Five looked around, trying to find a sign or anything that gave him a clue to where he was, but came up short.</p><p>"Maiden Street, he's at the and of Maiden Street," the stranger spoke into the phone, sensing his distress.</p><p>Klaus' breath hitched on the phone, "Who was that!? Actually nevermind you can answer that later, I'll be there in a minute Five."</p><p>Five pushed the phone back into the stranger's arms as he leaned against the wall and vomited. </p><p>His throat was on fire, his stomach was burning, his legs were collapsing, he was <em>so tired.</em></p><p>Panting, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, wanting nothing more than to slump against the wall and sleep.</p><p>"I'm so sorry Five," the stranger muttered, "I'm so, so sorry." </p><p>Five turned to them in a silent question, letting the apology hang in the air. </p><p>"Cha Cha and Hazel were too slow, they were a liability. They caused Klaus to come to Vietnam and fucked everything up. So she made me do it instead, and I'm <em>so sorry.</em> You know what would happen if I didn't."</p><p>For the first time, Five properly looked at the stranger. He took in his dark, clean cut hair; his simple, white, red, and blue striped shirt; his bloodied, bruised knuckles; and of course, his eyes. </p><p>They were electric blue, running on a dead battery.</p><p>"I know."</p><p>The man smiled sadly, "Tell your brother I say hi." </p><p>Five opened his mouth to ask why, to ask which one, but his breath seized in his throat. </p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>The stranger ran. </p><p>"Five?"</p><p>Klaus. Klaus was here. Klaus would be able to help him. <em>Klaus would be able to take him home.</em></p><p>Five wheezed in affirmation as Klaus picked him up. </p><p>"Once this is over I'm buying you pizza, you're too light bro," he chuckled but it was forced, as if he wasn't entirely sure that this would ever be over. </p><p>After practically throwing him into the back of the car, Klaus ran to the drivers seat, turning the keys with more force than necessary. </p><p>Five pretended not to notice that his hands were shaking.</p><p>"Five, dude, you're gonna have to stay awake until I get you to Mom, can you do that?" </p><p>He hummed, eyes already half shut.</p><p>"Shit uhhhh, I'll put the radio on," he muttered mostly to himself, switching the radio on. Five didn't know any of the songs.</p><p>"You're gonna be alright Five, trust me, everything's gonna be okay."</p><p>It took him a second to realise that the voice wasn't Klaus.</p><p>"Ben?" </p><p>Five turned to his left as Ben stared at him in horror.</p><p>"No, no, no, no, this isn't happening, not today Five <em>please."</em></p><p>Five smiled widely. Ben was here. Ben was safe. </p><p>"I missed you," he breathed out, before it all went dark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I Think We're Alone Now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben had missed his siblings.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am but a clown and y'all r the audience at my angst circus.</p><p>(Also yes I am naming the chapters after songs from tua soundtrack, they fucking slap okay?)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben had missed his siblings. </p><p>When he died, when he chose to stay with Klaus, he thought that things would be the same. That things could go back to normal, better than normal even. Being dead meant he had no responsibilities, no punishment from their father; only fun pranks to play on the living in his invisible, incorporeal body.</p><p>He wouldn't lie, once he had gotten over the fact that he was dead, it was fun. He and Klaus had a good time for a while. They trashed Father's study together, tested out Ben's ghostly powers (which basically just consisted of being able to walk through walls), and Ben could even keep Klaus company in the morgue, warding off any bad ghosts whilst telling him funny stories.</p><p>He had it good, better than most dead people he assumed, but he wanted <em>more.</em></p><p>He wanted to be able to play chess with Allison again and listen to Vanya play violin. He wanted to practice knife throwing with Diego and try and convince Luther to give him piggy back rides. He wanted Mom to hug him and tell him that everything would be okay.</p><p>He knew that he couldn't have that exactly, he knew that things would have to change a little (since he was dead and all) but the thought of having his siblings acknowledge his presence again made him vibrate with excitement.</p><p>So obviously when Klaus told them all and they denied his existence- saying that he was the result of Klaus' drug and alcohol induced, trauma riddled imagination- he took it pretty hard. </p><p>But Klaus took it harder.</p><p>It had been difficult to watch Klaus self destruct over the years, Ben couldn't count the amount of times he wished he could slap some sense into him on both of his hands. However, he'd stuck by him, he'd made sure that he stayed alive because that was all that mattered.</p><p>Or at least that's what he thought.</p><p>Because then their dear old Father passed away, Five came back in his thirteen year old self's body talking about an apocalypse, and still nobody knew that he was there except from Klaus, who was high on fuck knows what. </p><p>Whilst his siblings were debating about the apocalypse, Ben was still processing the fact that Five was there, in front of them, after all these years. </p><p>He and Five had always been the close as siblings, they were very alike, both smart with books but less with people; both not quite sure how to handle their powers but doing them best to control them. Yet, Five was impulsive and reckless, tired of being told what he could and couldn't do, whereas Ben was a pushover, a child to be easily manipulated.</p><p>When Five left- without a goodbye- he couldn't help but feel happy for him. It was what he had wanted, what he had needed to do. Sure, he missed him (more than he could ever say) but he deserved to be happy, and he couldn't do that in the Umbrella Academy.</p><p>But now he was here in front of him, separated only by the thin veil of life and death, and Ben didn't know how to feel.</p><p>"This is unbelievable," Five sighed, looking around the room as Luther mumbled under his breath, "Where's Ben? He'll listen to me."</p><p>The room went silent.</p><p>"What?" </p><p>Klaus glanced at Ben and giggled.</p><p>
  <em>"Where's Ben?"</em>
</p><p>"You uh-" Luther started, "You didn't see his statue outside?"</p><p>"Statue? Why would he have a-" Five's eyes widened a fraction, it would have been unnoticeable if Ben wasn't studying his face so intently. "Oh."</p><p>"Yeah..." Allison trailed off awkwardly, everyone averting their gaze away from Five, except for Ben of course. </p><p>His expression was schooled, unusually so, but Ben could still see the shadows that haunted his dark eyes.</p><p>Five always used to wear his heart on his sleeve. Whatever emotions he was feeling had <em>always</em> shown on his face. Ben wondered what he went through in those 40 years to no longer make it that way, to make him feel the need to hide and bury those emotions.</p><p>His stomach burnt with anger <strike>at himself</strike> at the world, for letting itself ruin Five. </p><p>In that moment, he would have given anything to give him a hug. To tell him that it would be okay.</p><p>Only now he knew that it wouldn't be, because he actually had the chance. </p><p>"Ben?"</p><p>It was amazing how much of an impact that one word had on him; how it made his world come crashing down.</p><p>"No, no, no, no, this isn't happening, not today Five <em>please."</em></p><p>Five was staring at him, smiling widely as if he were relieved, as if he were happy that he was dying. He opened his mouth and Ben wanted to scream at him to save his energy, because he couldn't die, <em>not now, not this way. </em></p><p>"I missed you," he said sweetly, his smile turning fond, and Ben's heart broke.</p><p>He had always wanted his siblings to see him, but he had never wanted it to be like this.</p><p>Five's eyes closed and his own were waterfalls.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Haha please dont kill me. </p><p>(ALSO thank you to everyone who commented/left kudos on the 1st chapter it rlly got my brain juices flowing)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. (Feels Like) Heaven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Five awoke in a field of chrysanthemums, he knew that he was dead.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>heyyyyyy bitches hope yall enjoy this chapter (sorry it's so short, apparently I cant write properly smh)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Five awoke in a field of chrysanthemums, he knew that he was dead. </p><p>He'd failed. The only thing he had stayed alive for in the first place was to prevent the apocalypse, and he'd died, <em>he'd failed. </em></p><p>"Fuck." </p><p>"I figured you'd say that."</p><p>Five was up in an instant, surveying his surroundings and searching for the source of the voice. </p><p>"You don't have to do that anymore, remember? You're dead."</p><p>He hated that they were right.</p><p>"Who are you? Where am I?"</p><p>The owner of the voice chuckled, "So many questions, so little time. It's always been that way hasn't it Five? Your questions have remained unanswered, your time has run out. It's almost ironic really, considering your powers and all."</p><p>Five just stared at the flowers, wondering how something so beautiful could live in a place for the dead.</p><p>"A lot of people have passed through here; some young, some old, all abandoned by the fickle thing you call life. In a way, the only thing that truly connects all of humanity is death. Isn't that beautiful Five?"</p><p>"That's bullshit," he said, looking up to see a girl and her bicycle standing in front of him.</p><p>"Hmm? And why's that?"</p><p>"Because there's much more to life than death."</p><p>The Girl laughed beautifully, her voice being carried by the wind like the bells of church on sundays, "It's strange hearing that from you."</p><p>"It shouldn't be." </p><p>Five and The Girl stared at each other, neither willing to look away, before The Girl turned her back on him and headed towards the lake. </p><p>Five followed, careful not to crush any of the flowers growing from the floor with his feet.</p><p>(All his life had been spent killing, maybe in his death he could help things to live.)</p><p>Once he reached the lake side, Five watched as The Girl took a stick, and prodded the water. Swirls of colour danced across the surface before settling into a picture.</p><p>Six figures stood around a statue of a boy, tears dripping down their faces, none of them willing to speak. Number Two and Number Four locked eyes and a silent vow was made. A vow to avenge their dead brother. </p><p>And then the world went up in flames.</p><p>"This is the future, Five. This is the result of your death. Without you, I win. Without you, the world is obliterated."</p><p>"Win?" Five's eyes remained fixed on the image in the water, "What do you gain from destroying your own world?"</p><p>The Girl just giggled, getting on her bike.</p><p>"Wait!" Five grabbed her wrist desperately, meeting her eyes, "This can't be it, please. There has to be some other way." </p><p>The Girl simply stared at him, expression blank as her dark, emotionless eyes bored into his.</p><p>Then she nodded, retrieved a daisy from her bike basket, and placed it in his hand. </p><p>"This game we've been playing has been fun, hasn't it Five? I don't know about you, but I think it's time to finish it."</p><p>The water from the lake overflowed, dragging him down into it's murky depths. He could feel his lungs deflating as the salty water filled them, his skin turning blue, and his eyes rolling back in his skull.</p><p>And then he was on a table coughing as his lungs screamed, drawing in oxygen after what felt like an eternity of breathlessness. He could feel people touching him, could see a blurred, worried face in front of his, but only one word, one name, was occupying his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Dave.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>no i will not stop ending the chapters on cliffhangers &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Order Of Death</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Dave enlisted in the war, he did it to prove himself.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>YO guess who's back guys!!! sorry this took so long ive been caught up in writing other stuff, but its here now and im actually pretty happy with this chapter, we love that Dave Content</p><p>tw for mentions of death, vomiting, non consensual drug use, implied/referenced homophobia and implied/referenced child abuse if u squint</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Dave enlisted in the war, he did it to prove himself. To prove to his Father that he had raised him right, to prove to his friends that he wasn't a coward, to prove to his queen and country that he would fight for them; that he would die for them.</p><p>Because that's what war was. Destruction, pain, death. It surrounded you, plucking away everyone you loved one by one until you were left alone, scarred and broken.</p><p>Or at least that was what his grandfather had told him, in the quiet of the night when neither of them could sleep, nightmares still fresh in their minds.</p><p>"War was hell," he said, "War was hell and we were Satan's puppets."</p><p>And then he died. He died, and war plagued the world once again, snatching puppets to wind around it's spindly fingers only for them to snap and fall when they lost their usefulness. </p><p>Dave knew that he was going to be the same, he knew that he would fall to the ground on the battle field just like everyone else, but he didn't care. He didn't have anything to live for at home, and if war was going to give him that, if war was going to give him a purpose, a sense of belonging, then he would go. </p><p>It was a good decision he made, his father said, patting him on the back dismissively. It took everything he had to not flinch away.</p><p>And then Klaus dropped in.</p><p>From where? Dave had no clue. He had studied the soldiers lining up, memorized the faces of the men he would be living with for the next few months, the men he would die with, and he wasn't there. The seat next to him was empty, and then suddenly it wasn't; as if it were magic.</p><p>Then Klaus had smiled at him, and he had smiled back, and he <em>knew</em> it was magic.</p><p>They were inseparable, to the point of closeness that his father would say no man should be with another. He reveled in it. In the way Klaus would shoot him smiles and winks from the corner of the room; the way that when he had a nightmare, Klaus would take his hand and sneak them outside the cabins, breath mingling as they whispered secrets to eachother in the night air; the way that Klaus looked at him like he was the only thing that mattered, like he was a shooting star in amongst the millions not moving. </p><p>It wasn't until they kissed, chest to chest in the corridor of a club, pink blue and purple lighting illuminating Klaus' lips as he dived forward to close the space between them, that he knew what love was. And it wasn't until he awoke, in a field of chrysanthemums, his heart hurting, head bleeding and Klaus' cries still ringing in his ears, that he knew what heartbreak felt like.</p><p>He'd finally had something to live for, and then he had died. The sour laugh bubbling within his chest erupted at the irony of it all. </p><p>"Another from the war, huh?"</p><p>Looking up, he came face to face with a little girl, leaning against her bike as she plucked the flowers from below and placed them delicately into her basket. "We've had a lot of you recently." </p><p>Dave hummed, a melancholy sound, "I can imagine."</p><p>The Girl nodded, not taking her eyes from the flowers, "Not like you though; none like you."</p><p>Dave raised his eyebrows, "Really?"</p><p>"Yeah. You can't stay here." </p><p>"What, am I getting sent to hell?" He chuckled, already having accepted his fate. His Father always had said that his kind went to hell, it was just a shame that he was right.</p><p>The Girl looked up at him, eyes the colour of honey clashing with his own of taffy blue, "Something like that."</p><p>And then he was breathing heavily, sitting up in a bed much more luxurious than the one's at camp, attempting to turn around only to find his legs cuffed together and a woman wearing blood red lipstick and high heels staring at him from his bedside.</p><p>"David! So glad that you're finally awake, we really thought you had gone for a second there."</p><p>"Wh-" Dave lifted a hand to the gunshot wound on his head, only to find smooth skin, "How?" </p><p>The woman smiled far too wide to be natural, "We couldn't let you die just yet now, could we?"</p><p>He squinted, eyes adjusting to the harsh light reflecting off of the white, plastic walls. "Why not? I don't even know who you are."</p><p>"That's true," the woman said, standing up and walking to the end of his bed, "but I know who you are, Dave Katz. And I know that if you work for me, I can give you the chance to love again."</p><p>Dave looked up, confused, "Uhh, well, I'm honoured but-"</p><p>The woman barked out a laugh, "Oh, I didn't mean me darling, you're a bit too...into men for my tastes. No, I was talking about your wartime boy toy."</p><p>"Klaus?" Saying his name was like a breath of fresh air, filling up his lungs and leaving the pit in the bottom of his stomach empty. </p><p>"Yes," she grinned, showing off her perfect- almost too perfect, Dave noted- teeth, "Last I heard he was back in New York, 2019."</p><p>"20- what!?" Dave asked, eyebrows furrowed, convinced he had miss heard. Unless, of course, the woman was talking in a code of some sort. Perhaps she was a spy, and this was all some kind of sick psychological torture they were playing on him, perhaps Klaus was in the room next to his, being told the exact same things as Dave only with his name, perhaps-</p><p>"The year, darling. As in two thousand and nineteen."</p><p>Her words crashed into Dave's train of thought, sending it off the rails and him with it.</p><p>"That's- that's impossible."</p><p>The woman cackled, as if she had just been told the most hilarious joke, slapping a hand on her thigh as Dave fought the urge to flinch. Pulling a handkerchief out of her breast pocket and dabbing her eyes as her laughter died down, she turned to face him fully. Her eyes were dark. Emotionless. </p><p>Dave's grandfather had always said that the eyes were the most telling sign of spotting an enemy soldier. They showed too much, letting emotion that should have been kept locked inside free through the entrance of dark irises. "The eyes were the gateway to the soul," he had always said, and as Dave stared into the woman's- hollow, lined with precise eyeliner, every wrinkle delicately carved- he wondered if she even had one at all.</p><p>"Did you never question how your Klaus got onto the bus in the first place?" She asked, voice sweet as syrup but pouring like the rain, "Or maybe why he insisted on carrying a briefcase into a war zone? How he knew the weird words he was teaching you, why his clothes were so new, so <em>modern?"</em></p><p>Dave kept his face neutral, eyes gazing past the woman and towards the door. It looked like it was locked from the outside. </p><p>"The briefcase was a time travel device that he stole from me. It was destroyed promptly after he made his way back to 2019 of course but," she sighed deeply, "we will have to bring him in."</p><p>"What do you mean bring him in? Dave asked, completely disregarding the time travel for now, too eager to find out what this woman was going to do to Klaus.</p><p>"Well usually bring him in means murder him on sight," she smirked at Dave's face, "but since you're here, I suppose I could let him off."</p><p>Dave squinted suspiciously, attempting to detect any signs of foul play in her face. He found nothing. </p><p>"Really?"</p><p>"Yes," she smiled almost maliciously, "for a quick favour of course..."</p><p>Which was how Dave was waiting in an alley at 2am, wrapped up warm but still shivering as he clasped a syringe in his pocket, out of sight from nosy onlookers. </p><p>All he needed to do was inject him, and get out, easy as pie.</p><p>Running a hand through his hair and glancing around, still slightly bewildered by the fact that he was in <em>2019,</em> he heard footsteps behind him. A glance in the reflection of his sunglasses proved that it was the victim, that it was The Boy.</p><p>He remembers a few hours ago, when the woman had handed him an unusually small file with the picture of a child clipped to the front of it, telling him that he may look like a child, but he's older than any of us.</p><p>Dave had accepted it at the time, not quite understanding the concept of time travel, but now, looking at the child limping- why was he limping?- closer to him in the darkened alley, he couldn't help but notice how young he looked. How tired and child-like he looked as he stopped in his tracks, leaning against the wall panting, his hands glowing blue but diminishing almost as soon as they had started. </p><p>He was young. He was tired. Dave knew the feeling. </p><p>He barely even reacted as Dave stabbed the needle into his arm, watching as the clear liquid made it's way into The Boy's bloodstream. Almost immediately his eyes fluttered shut, and he began to fall into Dave's already outstretched arms. </p><p><em>Well, at least the drugs worked quickly,</em> he mused, lying The Boy down on the floor of the dirty alley. Staring down at his face (his gaunt, bruised, youthful face that bared the marks of The Boy's struggle and pain and heartache- which, thanks to Dave, was now worth nothing) he let out a breath. </p><p>He was doing it for Klaus he reminded himself, hand resting against the wall in a feeble attempt to stop his head from spinning. He was doing it for Klaus. </p><p>Pocketing the syringe once again, and walking out of the alley, he waited.</p><p>Half an hour later, The Boy came stumbling out of the alley, vomit staining the front of his clothes and eyes fixed on the telephone booth across the road. </p><p>The orders the woman had given to him resurfaced ("Inject him, get out, wait, <em>run."</em>) but he repressed them quickly. The least he could do was make sure that the kid died in a good place, surrounded by those who loved him the most, instead of alone in an alley, with only the crescent moon and mourning doves to keep him company. </p><p>"Shit kid," he muttered, letting concern drip into his voice steadily, "you alright?"</p><p>Clouded eyes met his briefly as The Boy hesitated, opening his mouth only to empty his insides on Dave's shoes. </p><p>"Right," he muttered, scrunching his nose up at the rancid smell, "okay uhh, do you know where your parents are?"</p><p>The Boy looked up at him, confused, and then back down at himself, realisation working it's way through the fog in his eyes. </p><p>"I'm guessing that's a no," Dave uttered. At least there wouldn't be any family to miss him when he was gone. "Okay can I touch you? Can you stand up? We need to get you to a hospital."</p><p>A pained whine came from The Boy, making Dave back away slightly, "Okay, okay, I'm going to call you an ambulance though."</p><p>"No," The Boy's voice was hoarse, trembling as he spoke the word. How one word could hold so much emotion, so much complexity, Dave didn't know. His hands shook in anticipation and fear as the boy opened his mouth once again, <em>"please."</em></p><p>It took all Dave had not to break down right there.</p><p>Faking a sigh, and retrieving his phone <em>(the newest tech of the 21st century,</em> the woman had said, winking at him before slipping it into his pocket) careful not to brush the syringe that still sat there, heavy, he handed it over to him. "Fine, but you need to call someone, you can't just lie here by yourself when you're obviously injured."</p><p>The Boy only nodded, eyes opening and shutting against the harsh light of the device as he dialled a number slowly, hands quivering. </p><p>"Hello?" Dave's blood turned to ice in his veins. </p><p>"Help." </p><p>He knew that voice, Dave <em>knew</em> he knew that voice.</p><p>"Fivey!?"</p><p>
  <em>He was at camp, laying on the dew covered grass underneath the stars, Klaus' head resting in his lap as he played with his hair and listened. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"-and then there's my sister Allison. She's pretty famous around where we live, which- don't get me wrong, I love her- but it did go to her head a little."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dave chuckled, causing Klaus to glance up at him fondly, sitting up to place a kiss on his cheek, which made Dave smile softly in return.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You have a big family," he stated, thinking back to his own home where his mother probably stood at the stove making stew ready for when his Father got home from his day at work, usually in a sour mood. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's not even the half of it," Klaus chuckled, draging him out of his thoughts, "I haven't even gotten around to Diego, Luther, and Five yet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Five?" He asked, eyebrows raised.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, we were pretty close as kids but then he ran away, said that he was bored of following Dad's orders or something....I miss him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dave squeezed his hand lightly, kissing away Klaus' tears as if they were freshly plucked diamonds.</em>
</p><p>Five was Klaus' brother. </p><p>He had been sent to kill Klaus' brother. </p><p>His stomach churned as he realised that the woman knew, she must have. His grandad had always said he trusted too easily. Never again. </p><p>"Shit, fuck, shit, where are you?" Dave let Klaus' voice wash over him, drowning and warming him like the honey and lemon drink his mother had always made him when he was sick.</p><p>"Maiden Street," he answered, leaning closer to the phone, "he's at the end of Maiden Street."</p><p>Time slowed as Dave heard Klaus' breath hitch over the phone. For a second (that lasted a lifetime) he thought he had been recognised, but then Klaus dismissed him, and the phone was shoved back into his hands as Five vomited again.</p><p>He didn't know what he was feeling, he didn't know how he was <em>supposed</em> to feel. He was glad that Klaus hadn't identified him, of course he was. (Even if it meant that he had forgotten him, even if it meant that he had moved on. That Dave was the one stuck in the past; that Klaus maybe hadn't loved him as much as he thought.) Of course he was.</p><p>Violent retching interrupted his thoughts, and he watched as Five collapsed on the floor, weak and small and a child.</p><p>"I'm so sorry Five," the words came out of his mouth before he could register what he was saying, "I'm so, so sorry." </p><p>Five turned to him, slowly, letting the apology hang in the air, oblivious to how the silence was choking Dave like a noose.</p><p>"Cha Cha and Hazel were too slow, they were a liability," he repeated what the woman had told him when he had asked why he was doing this, why he had been chosen to do this. The least Five deserved was an explanation, even if he wasn't entirely sure it was true. "They caused Klaus to come to Vietnam and fucked everything up. So she made me do it instead, and I'm so sorry. You know what would happen if I didn't."</p><p>(He didn't know, but it didn't take a genius to guess.)</p><p>For the first time, Five's eyes cleared, unidentifiable emotions overpowering the fog.</p><p>"I know." </p><p>Dave broke.</p><p>He didn't deserve this.</p><p><em>Five</em> didn't deserve this.</p><p>And yet it had happened anyway. He had been revived from the dead, surely Five could be the same? It was wishful thinking, he knew that, but he couldn't think about anything else. Not now, not when he was already broken. </p><p>He sent a sad smile towards Five, hoping that it told him that he was more sorry that he could say and that he has to try and stay alive, for <em>Klaus,</em> "Say hi to your brother for me."</p><p>Five's mouth opened but it was too late, Dave heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction, whispered one final frantic apology, and ran.</p><p>It was what he did best.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>can i get uhhhh F in the chat</p><p>SHOUTOUT to the comment last chapter that predicted commission! Dave, rats off to you my dude</p><p>(also guys i swear the actual plot will start next chapter i swear adsgdhh)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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